


Far

by momo bo (RoboClinic)



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: M/M, the good old-fashioned knee touch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 08:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11824896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoboClinic/pseuds/momo%20bo
Summary: Ryder shows off Milky Way music to Jaal.





	Far

**Author's Note:**

> first time i've posted any of my writing online in many, many years. it aint that great and it when i started it i was planning on something else but it turned into this so the beginning is mildly out of place. i wrote it all in one sitting and barely did any editing. gimme constructive criticism. i live for that stuff.

It was probably one of the most awkward encounters with a woman he'd ever had in his life. Not the only one, but the first one to so blatantly imply she wanted to bang. Why don't they ever want to just be friends?

"Uh-," he'd stuttered. "No, Peebee, sorry I-,"

She cut him off then. That was that. There was a few more moments of antigravity and utter weightlessness before reality was back on and their feet hit the floor. He tried to explain that wasn't interested in those of the female persuasion, like, at all but she dodged the topic, obviously flustered she'd been turned down. That happens a lot. Sometimes the women get angry, not often, but often enough that the ones who take it well are a blessing. He was grateful she didn't take it as too much of an offense. He ran a hand through his hair, sighed, told her he'd see her later, then vanished out the door.

Another friendship ruined, he supposed. Perhaps he'd need to make his preferences more obvious so he could avoid this kind of trouble in the first place. He quickly dismissed that thought, too private to really consider it. Next meeting with her was going to be uncomfortable for the both of them.

He arrived at his quarters, lying flat on his bed that was strewn with books and papers on seemingly random topics. He hadn't even considered other people trying to "get to know him" since they'd arrived in Andromeda, he'd been so preoccupied with the Pathfinder mess his dad threw him into. Well, that and a specific pink alien native to the galaxy. He and Jaal would get together every so often and teach each other the customs of their respective species. Eventually the formal meetings devolved into two friends hanging out and Warren Ryder only just recently began to realize that maybe "just friends" wasn't a thing he was interested in any longer.

He ran both hands through his hair, eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling. Is this what Peebee was implying by even bringing up something physical or was it strictly casual, as she mentioned? 

People were horrible and complicated, he decided. Who else had secret feelings for one another on the crew? Was this going to affect missions? Ryder hoped not. The arguing amongst one another already made everything a headache. He couldn't handle favoritism, too.

"Ryder," SAM interrupted his thoughts. He pulled himself into a sitting position, groaning as his back cracked.

"Yeah?"

"Jaal has requested a meeting with you in your quarters."

Ryder's face turned hot and he cleared his throat.

"Yeah, sure. Tell him okay." Ryder found his hands fluffing his hair and when did he start primping himself? He was actually primping himself. He caught himself before he started straightening his jacket and instead began clearing off his bed so he didn't look like such a slob. It always took a few minutes for anyone to actually show up at his door so he knew he had time.

"Ryder!" Jaal boomed the moment he stepped into his room.

Ryder clutched a stack of books and swiveled to stare wide-eyed at the freshly arrived angara. "You are going to give me a heart attack one of these days doing that!" He heaved his cargo onto his nightstand and welcomed him with the angaran greeting they'd come to make a habit out of, forearm to forearm. The first time they did that was an absolute nightmare of galactic politics.

"I have been speaking with the rest of the crew," Jaal announced, pacing briefly across the room. "They have told me of the things they brought with them from your Mil-kee Way."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. But I have not asked you yet. So," Jaal strode up to him as he always does, practically in his face. "what did you think was important enough to bring to another galaxy?"

"Oh," Ryder chuckled and walked over to his desk. "That's easy." He picked up a device the size of his palm and held it up to show the other man. "Music."

"Music." Jaal accepted the device as Ryder placed it in his hand. He lowered his head to examine it, then raised his eyes to Ryder's. The Pathfinder swallowed to try to forget about the fluttering in his chest and the big blue eyes watching him. Faris didn't even know what her twin brought with them from Earth, let alone know what sort of music he listened to.

"You want to listen?"

Jaal beamed.  
They took a seat on the couch, possibly sitting too close to one another, but Ryder just used it as an excuse to show Jaal how the music player worked. He let Jaal pick what music to listen to, though he couldn't read a single letter on the screen. Ryder had to explain to him the title of the songs and which species the language belonged to. The first song was turian. It sounded like more of a march than actual music but it had good memories from long ago associated with it.

"So this is the type of music turians make?"

"Ah, not really. This is more like... something else but I like the sound of it," Ryder said, watching as Jaal nodded, too distracted with scrolling through the list to reply.

"And this?" The music abruptly changed.

Ryder leaned over to see the screen. "It's called 'Far.' It's drell."

"Drell. The ones who are not yet here?"

"Not yet."

"What are they like?"

"I've never actually met one. It was rare to meet them where I was. They shared a planet with the hanar because... well, their homeworld wasn't doing too great." The song was instrumental, filled with soft drifting sounds and it kept the silence at bay as the two simply listened. When the song ended, Jaal made a small noise.

"I would like to meet these 'drell,'" he said. A small smile curled Ryder's lips and Jaal smiled back.

"So would I, one day."

"This is human?" A new song began. Jaal's face broke out into recognition when the singer did indeed begin singing in something that his translator could pick up.

"Yep. This is one of my sister's favorites. The main instrument is called a violin. She likes the... less aggresive kind of music."

"What about you?"

Ryder laughed awkwardly. "I like the more aggressive kind of music." Jaal pushed the player in front of him.

"Show me?"

Ryder's cheeks heated up. He didn't like people going through his music specifically because of his type of music. He recieved many... difficult comments before he learned his lesson that sometimes sharing was definitely not caring. He trusted Jaal enough to even show him this much, might as well go all the way.

He picked his favorite song, something dark he found during one of the lowest points of his life. As the music drifted in, he placed it back in Jaal's hand. Neither of them said anything through the song. Jaal was paying a frightening amount of attention once the actual singing began. Halfway through, Jaal cast a concerned look over to the now nervous Ryder, who was staring blankly out the window. Once it was over, Jaal turned his whole body toward the human, knocking their knees together.

"What happened?"

"Huh?"

"People often listen to music that reflects them, at least the angara do. I assumed you also do the same? This is not a happy song, Ryder." Indeed it wasn't. There was more than one mention of... not so happy things paced throughout it.

Ryder shifted uncomfortably. "I wasn't happy when I found it. Long story short, someone destroyed my trust. I'm not that miserable now, I promise."

"You are one of the kindest people I know. Who would hurt you?"

His cheeks felt hot again and he cleared his throat.

"You go out of your way to share your kindness with everyone-,"

"I kinda have to, Jaal. I'm a Pathfinder. I don't really want to give us a bad name."

"But you would do these things, you would have saved the Moshae regardless of you being a Pathfinder. You would have done these things you do for your crew regardless, given the chance."

Well, he wasn't wrong. Ryder liked helping people. He liked helping his friends the most. 

"Who could take advantage of something so honest?"

"Like I said, long story. Trust me, Jaal. I'm not down like I was. Besides, it was years ago. I was still a teenager."

Jaal's face scrunched up. One of his hands covered Ryder's own and Ryder's heart exploded to life. "If you ever need to talk, I will always be here to listen." A brief moment of silence before their hands parted and Jaal repositioned his body to fit his seat, though their knees still brushed. "Now, what does this say?" He turned the small screen back to Ryder, who was still flushed from their contact. He'd need to inquire about Jaal's... preferences soon if he wanted this to continue so he didn't end up like Peebee and make everything an awkward mess. He didn't want to lose this.

**Author's Note:**

> the event that caused ryder to get depression basically is a previous relationship in which the guy stole funds from his family and then cheated on him. it was a very dramatic time in ryder's life. anyway i've embarassed myself enough. slightly more info on warren [here](https://reconfigurable.tumblr.com/preciousbabbus)


End file.
